1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus having a storage unit for storing setting values, a control method therefor, and a storage medium storing a program for executing the control method.
2. Description of the Related Art
An image processing apparatus such as a copier or a multi-function peripheral has a storage unit that stores setting values representing contents of operation to be performed by the apparatus, and the image processing apparatus operates according to the setting values. These setting values can be changed by a general user or by a management user having administrator authority.
For example, in an image processing apparatus, a display language is set to a language familiar to a user, and the set display language is used for display on an operation panel screen. Further, an initial screen is set, which is selected from among various screens for copy, transmission, FAX, etc., and the set initial screen is displayed at startup of the apparatus. Furthermore, it is possible to set an auto-clear time for a setting value, e.g., a number of sets of copies. In that case, after elapse of a predetermined auto-clear time from completion of operation of the apparatus performed according to the setting value (e.g., copy operation according to a predetermined number of sets of copies), the setting value is automatically cleared to prevent inconveniences such as wasteful copy from occurring when the apparatus is subsequently used by another user.
In some PC, profiles for individual users are prepared. When a user logs in, the PC operates according to the profile of the login user to enable the user to utilize an environment customized by the user.
On the other hand, in an image processing apparatus whose storage unit is limited in capacity, setting values are generally set and stored not for each individual user but for each individual apparatus. It should be noted that in some image processing apparatus, setting values changeable only by a management user are stored in the storage unit separately from setting values that can be changed by general users.
Even in an image processing apparatus whose setting values are set and stored not for each user but for each apparatus, each user is able to enhance the user-friendliness of the apparatus by changing the setting values as needed. However, this can cause inconveniences for other users. In a case, for example, that a special display language is set by some user, subsequent display is made in that language that cannot be understood by other users, resulting in confusion.
To obviate this, Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2007-036701 discloses an information processing apparatus that receives and stores information set to another information processing apparatus, operates in an operational environment based on the stored information when a user who requests to access the stored information is successfully authenticated, and deletes the stored information when the user logs out. Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2011-49850 discloses an authentication system that optimizes an initial display screen of a multi-function peripheral at the time of login to the multi-function peripheral to enhance the user-friendliness by changing the initial display screen according to a final display screen at the time of preceding logout.
However, when the technique disclosed in Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2007-036701 is applied to an image processing apparatus, the resultant system becomes large in scale as a whole, and therefore unsuitable in an environment in which one or a small number of image processing apparatuses are used.
When an initial display screen is changed according to a final display screen at the time of preceding logout as disclosed in Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2011-49850, the display screen at the preceding logout is automatically displayed at the time of login. Accordingly, the display screen must be re-configured in some cases, and hence the user-friendliness is not necessarily improved.
In the aforesaid image processing apparatus in which setting values changeable by general users and setting values changeable by only the management user are stored separately from each other, one or more setting values changed by the management user for management purpose can be changed by a general user, if these setting values are changeable even by general users. This poses a problem that the management intended by the management user cannot be achieved.